You put your property on the market, because you want to move and in order to sell you want your home to stand out from the crowd. You want buyers flocking to see what it has to offer. First impressions matter in life and in particular when selling your home! [···]

So, the Government finally announced its much heralded plan to limit tenant fees charged by letting agents and landlords in this country from the Summer of 2019, more than two years after first proposing the policy.

Supporters of the policy will no doubt be giving themselves a self-congratulatory pat on the back, but what will the reality look like post June 2019 for potential tenants [···]

Perhaps the single most asked question by home sellers during my 25 years in the property industry is “How much is my property worth?” I probably get asked this every working day! I get it, after all the price somebody is going to achieve for their home may have a very significant effect on their next move.

I think it is fair to say, that it hasn’t been the best couple of weeks for the online budget agents.
First there were the revelations and well documented problems with the second largest online agent eMoov, who are seemingly in financial distress and looking for a buyer.

Only a few days before, the company’s visionary, but controversial chief executive, Russell Quirk openly admitted that the online model wasn’t working in its current guise and not sustainable and that it hadn’t made the inroads into the High Street market share that he and others had predicted.
Meanwhile, Purple Bricks, the largest of the budget agents has seen its share price drop over 60% from its peak around 6/7 months ago, whilst increasing its minimum upfront fee to around £1200 if you include viewings. It is even higher if you are in London [···]

The build up and festivities around Bonfire Night has already started, with a number going off on Halloween. For families with young children, it’s a time of great fun and excitement.

But it’s not all excited gasps at whooshing rockets, that seem to get louder every year and delighted squeals at the site of spinning Catherine Wheels- if they are still in existence!? lighting up the night sky. [···]

Philip Hammond delivered his final Budget before Brexit on Monday and it provided a great opportunity for him to help steady an increasingly jittery housing market. Sadly, and not for the first time he failed rather miserably to address the real issues and instead offered up a rather damp squib of a Budget where housing is concerned. [···]

One question I am being asked more and more by home sellers, buyers, landlords and property investors “How will Brexit affect the house market?”

It’s a good question and certainly very topical right now and I guess the honest answer is nobody really knows. There are plenty of so call “experts” better qualified than me giving an opinion, however I suspect a lot will depend on what sort of Brexit we see come 11 pm on March 29th 2019! [···]

There has been much said and a considerable amount of mud thrown in an ongoing and rather unedifying pitched battle between traditional high street estate agents and the new breed of low cost budget agents, that has raged for a few years now, with both vying for the hearts and minds of house sellers. [···]

Do you know what price your property is currently being marketed at? The exact price I mean? For example, is it £400,000 or £399,950? You might think, so what? It’s the old £99.99 under £100 syndrome, however the difference here is more important than you might imagine, I’ll explain why: [···]